


A New Babysitter

by A_New_Believer



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 04:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15721566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_New_Believer/pseuds/A_New_Believer
Summary: Alice pays Emma a visit and offers some help in settling baby Hope.





	A New Babysitter

   Alice was a little nervous to go calling to the Swan-Jones household on her own. Before she had always done her visits with Robin or her papa by her side, and they were never very long visists. Despite her father and Killian Jones essentially being one in the same, they had grown into different people and didn’t quite get along the way people expected them to. Alice’s papa often commented that this Killian was more careless in some ways and cautious in others, like he didn’t think before he spoke and was quite often offensive, while at the same time, going crazy when it came to being a father – like wearing a protector over his hook when Alice and her papa both knew it wasn’t really needed.

   Taking a slow breath, Alice lifted her hand, hoping Killian wasn’t home as she rapped her knuckles against the surface of the door. Even when he tried to be nice, Killian had a habit of talking to Alice and treating her like a child. Or making crude jokes about the fact that her papa had sworn off all forms of alcohol.

   Just then the door was pulled open and a loud screaming cry filled the air, making Alice jump. Emma appeared in the doorway, looking quite frazzled with only half her hair brushed, dressed in her pyjamas with a small spot of sick on the front of her top. In one arm, she had her infant daughter – Hope – nestled against her side. She was also the source of the endless screaming.

   “Alice.” Emma gasped. “I thought you were Killian.”

   “Oh, um… Is everything okay?” Alice asked nervously.

   “Not really,” Emma groaned, bouncing Hope. “I’ve been rocking her for over an hour but she hasn’t stopped screaming.” She turned, walking back into the house and leaving Alice to awkwardly follow behind her. “I even had to put a sound proof spell on the house because everyone’s been complaining.”

   “Um. Is there anything I can do?” Alice asked, wandering into the living room where half a dozen toys lay across the floor and on all the furniture. “Maybe help clean up or hold her while you-”

   Alice had barely finished the sentence when Emma was pushing Hope into her arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Alice. I’m so sorry; just hold her for just one second while I go get her stuffed swan.” She turned and started for the door. “I’ve been looking for it all over but I can’t find it anywhere!”

   As Emma disappeared, Alice looked down at Hope. The young baby continued to scream where she was awkwardly holding her in her arms, shaking her fists and kicking her legs out where she wasn’t tightly swaddled in a pink blanket. Already her blonde hair was beginning to darken to a light brown, though her eyes remained brilliant blue, there was no saying they would stay that way. Her pink faces was even pinker the more she screamed, tears streaming down her face and a toothless mouth gaping open in frustration, pulling her last arm free from the blanket wrapped around her to knock it against Alice’s chest.

   “Uh… There, there.” Alice said, pulling her close against her and bouncing the babe gently.

   She hadn’t much experience with babies, but she had held Lucy a couple of times after her birth when Ella or Henry had come to visit her after she had settled down. They always said Alice was good with kids, and that she had a natural ability with them.

   Well, guess Alice was about to find out if that was really true.

   Balancing Hope gently against her chest in her arms, Alice began to walk around the room, gently bouncing and shushing her at the same time. After just a few seconds, Hope’s screams died down and she blinked up at Alice tearfully. Alice grinned, looking down at her and continuing to bounce and rock her gently with a bright silly smile.

   “There, that’s not so bad is it?” Alice giggled playfully, balancing Hope in one arm and reaching over to tickle her with the other.

   Suddenly Hope began giggling, the last few tears trickling forgotten down her cheek as she smiled up at Alice. She reached a hand up, tangling a chubby fist in Alice’s long blonde hair and pulling lightly.

   “You are so cute,” Alice grinned, reaching up to lightly tickle her again. But before she could, her hand froze and suddenly Alice began to see things. New things. Things that had yet to come true. That happened sometimes, ever since she was a child back in her tower.

   She saw Hope Swan Jones as a five year old, running around on the Jolly Rogers and squealing excitedly at the sails being set.

   She saw Hope Swan Jones as an eight year old, putting on her mothers make up in her mirror and dancing around like she was at a ball.

   She saw Hope Swan Jones at eleven, screaming at a girl in her class for spilling paint over the art work she had put so much effort into, then crying when she got in trouble for throwing a paint pot at her.

   She saw Hope Swan Jones at fourteen, attempting to run away from home only for Alice to catch and gently talk her out of it.

   She saw Hope Swan Jones at sixteen, kissing a dark haired girl Alice didn’t quite recognise and gazing into her eyes like someone truly in love.

   She saw Hope Swan Jones at twenty, hugging Alice over her recent happy engagement.

   She saw Hope Swan Jones live a long, happy, beautiful life…

   Albeit, a bit of a boring one. But then hey, some people preferred it that way.

   Still grinning down at her, Alice sat down on a nearby chair that wasn’t covered in toys from Emma’s searching and held Hope close. She began to gently sing her the same lullabye that her own father used to sing to her when she was a baby, and still did on the occasion she needed cheering up.

   That was how Emma found them.

   “I can’t find that stupid toy anywhere!” She snapped, charging downstairs only to come to a sharp stop when she realised something was missing. Hope. She wasn’t crying any more.

   Slipping into the living room, Emma stared open mouthed at where Hope was lying peacefully in Alice’s arms, her eyes drooping slightly in the middle of Alice’s soft song. Not that Emma could blame her. Alice, it seemed, was quite talented and her soothing voice made even the grown woman want to sit down and take a nap.

   “How did you do that?” Emma whispered.

   “I dunno,” Alice shrugged, still bouncing Hope gently. “I guess she just likes me.”

   “I guess she does…” Emma said quietly, then shook her head. “Alice, this may be cheeky but would you mind watching her for a bit? I need a nap and a break and no one else seems to be able to keep her as calm as you.”

   “Um, sure,” Alice shrugged. “I don’t mind. I only came over to pass a message from Regina, anyway so I’m free for the evening.”

   “What was the message?” Emma said, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

   “Just that the council meeting’s been moved up to tomorrow,” Alice said. “Regina’s rescheduled a lot of stuff so she can take Lucy on a trip next week.”

   “What? Seriously?! Oh God, I need to find someone to Hope and clean up the house and have a shower and…” She paused, glancing back at her. “You don’t sit in on council stuff, do you?”

   “No. I don’t bother with that stuff,” Alice shrugged.

   “Think you fancy a bit of babysitting?” Emma asked hopefully.

   Alice smiled, looking back down at Hope’s now peacefully sleeping face. “I’d love to.”


End file.
